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SEATTLE (AP) -- Demolition of World War II-era duplexes at the Rainier Vista public housing project to make way for redevelopment could begin as early as today now that a lawsuit has been settled. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour had issued an injunction halting the $125 million redevelopment project three weeks ago so that a lawsuit by tenants and housing advocates could be heard in court. On Tuesday, the parties to the lawsuit agreed to a settlement after four days of federal mediation. That allows the Seattle Housing Authority to proceed with demolition. Those who sued celebrated the settlement as a victory. They said the authority, an independent government agency that operates the project, gave significant concessions to neighbors, tenants and low-income housing advocates. The housing authority, buoyed by a $35 million federal grant, plans to level Rainier Vista's 481 rental units and replace them with a mixed-income community of 1,010 new rental and for-sale homes. Some low-income housing advocates, led by the Seattle Displacement Coalition, opposed redevelopment in the belief that it would result in fewer homes for the city's poorest families. The agency disputed that contention. The settlement states that people earning less than 30 percent of the region's median income about $23,350 annually for a family of four will get preference for all new low-income housing in the redeveloped Rainier Vista. The agreement legally binds the housing authority to its promise that the number of units on the new site will not exceed 1,010. $00:0200346848: $199:A0200346848 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:POLICE HUNT MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS FAMILY $90:GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press writer $120: PORTLAND -- Investigators are working through Christmas to track the man wanted for the aggravated murder of his pregnant wife and three young children, Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said Wednesday. About 25 more phone tips came in overnight and police are following up on leads that could point to the whereabouts of 37-year-old Edward Morris, believed to be armed, dangerous and on the run, Anderson said. The bodies of 31-year-old Renee Morris and her three children 10-year-old Bryant, 8-year-old Alexis and 4-year-old Jonathan were found Saturday in the snowy Tillamook State Forest. Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant late Monday charging Edward Morris with seven counts of aggravated murder in the crime. Autopsies completed Monday showed the four victims died of "homicidal violence," Anderson said. He said police believe the killings took place in Tillamook County, but would not elaborate. The FBI also issued a federal arrest warrant for Morris, indicating officials believe he has fled the state and possibly the country. "This will be a nationwide search for Mr. Morris," Anderson said, adding that the hunt will concentrate in the Northwest, where Morris has family and friends. Prosecutors charged Morris with three additional counts of aggravated murder because the children were all younger than 14 years and because there were multiple victims, Anderson said. Police continued to search for Morris' vehicle, a gray 1993 Dodge Caravan, which they described as in very good condition, with Oregon plates WSH-171. The minivan sports bumper stickers honoring the Beaverton, Ore.-based Christian evangelist Luis Palau and the Promise Keepers on its back windshield. Morris had trouble holding a job and started several roofing and landscaping businesses over the past years. The Morrises filed for bankruptcy in 1993 for one of those businesses. $00:0200346850: $199:A0200346850 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:CHURCH HOLDS SERVICE FOR FALLEN MEMBERS $90:AP $120: PORTLAND (AP) -- Holiday thoughts mingled with tears for about 70 people at a ceremony Christmas Eve at the St. Johns Wesleyan Church, where everybody knew Renee and Edward Morris and their children, Bryant, Alexis and Jonathan. On Tuesday night, Pastor Phil Hawk of the North Portland church moved back and forth from joy to sorrow, imploring the Morris family's friends and fellow Christians not to give up hope amid the grief and confusion. Renee and the children were found slain in the Coast Range near Tillamook over the weekend. The authorities are looking for Edward Morris, who is charged in the killings. "It's been some rough, rough days," Hawk said. "Waters can get rough sometimes. But we serve a bigger God. There are some answers we may never come to in this life, but that's OK. Our God is still our God." About 70 people, most in jeans and raincoats and more than a third of them children, filled the wooden pews under a peaked, wood-panel ceiling. Red and white candles burned on the piano. A Christmas tree stood behind the altar. "I have an assurance, and a peace and a hope. I know that Renee, that Bryant, that Alex and that Jonathan, they're free," Hawk said. "They're free. They're free from the struggles and the pain and the hurt. The pain is no longer theirs. The pain is ours, and someday we will be with them." Between verses of "Your Love, Oh God," about God's love "reaching toward the heavens," a church guitarist stopped singing and prayed into a microphone: "I would ask that that love extend to Edward Morris right now. ... I would ask that you extend that hand of forgiveness." Church members had grown concerned when Renee Morris, who was co-directing the children's Christmas musical, failed to show for the final rehearsal. After the family did not show for the performance Saturday night, church members held a vigil until 2:30 a.m., praying for them. A hunter and his son found the bodies of Renee and the children over the weekend. $00:0200346854: $199:A0200346854 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:MISSING HIKER FOCUS OF SEARCH IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY, ORE. $90:AP $120: TILLAMOOK, Ore. (AP) -- Authorities in Tillamook County are continuing the search for a missing hiker whose car was found about five miles west of the place where the bodies of a North Portland woman and her three children were discovered last weekend. Officials said there is no indication the two incidents are connected. Abhay Thatte, 37, of Beaverton, was reported missing after he failed to show up for work Monday at the Portland city auditor's office, according to Auditor Gary Blackmer. Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said helicopters were called in to help the search Wednesday. The search concluded at nightfall and will resume today. Washington County authorities offered to take over the search, allowing the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office to focus on the quadruple deaths. Police said Thatte's car had been at the Tillamook State Forest trailhead since Sunday. Blackmer described Thatte as a bright man working on a doctorate in economics, as well as an avid runner and an experienced hiker. His wife and infant child are visiting family in India, Blackmer said. $00:0200346856: $199:A0200346856 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:OREGON'S UNEMPLOYED WILL GET AN EXTENSION OF BENEFITS $90:AP $120: BEND, Ore. (AP) -- There's a silver lining for some, however temporary, in Oregon's high unemployment rate. The state is one of only three in the country with a high enough unemployment rate to qualify for an extension of unemployment checks, scheduled to run out this weekend for about 750,000 jobless workers nationwide. Oregon's jobless rate was 7.1 percent in November. About 20,000 Oregonians will be eligible for the extension under the joint state/federal Extended Benefits program, and will continue getting checks for another 13 weeks. "The majority of folks claiming will be moved over without any breaks (in their checks)," said Craig Spivey, a public information representative for the Oregon Employment Department. Oregon will pay its part of the program through a $1.5 billion benefits trust fund, paid for by employers in the state. There are still between 500 and 600 Oregon workers who will have received unemployment checks for a full 65 weeks, and will have totally exhausted their benefits, making them unable to switch to the Extended Benefits Program. Spivey said the U.S. Department of Labor has made assurances that Congress will pass some type of program extending national unemployment benefits when it reconvenes in January. If Congress doesn't pass such legislation, those 20,000 Oregonians will have reached the end of their benefits by March. "The president has told Congress that it will be the first thing they'll tackle when they come back," Spivey said. Many of the Oregon workers were already receiving extended federal benefits under the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program, a part of the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President Bush last March. The legislation allowed for up to 26 additional weeks of federally paid unemployment benefits once workers had exhausted their original claim. But Congress recessed without renewing that program. $00:0200346858: $199:A0200346858 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:STATES, TRIBE GIVEN MORE TIME TO COMMENT ON CUTTHROAT $90:AP $120: COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- States in the Northwest and an Indian tribe have more time to offer information to federal biologists about the westslope cutthroat trout. A federal judge in April ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-evaluate its 2000 determination the native fish did not warrant a place on the Endangered Species List. "We were considering some populations with hybrid fish as westslope cutthroat trout," said Steve Duke of the service. "Because of that we probably concluded they were much more widespread and less threatened." The agency has extended a comment period until Feb. 15 to collect more information on the species in Idaho, Washington, Montana and Oregon. The Kalispel Tribe also will offer their comments. The service, acting on a 1997 petition, determined westslope cutthroat have self-sustaining stocks widely distributed throughout their historic range. A recent study showed the cutthroat in Montana's Flathead River system are breeding with rainbow trout in more tributaries than originally thought. The combination of the two strains creates so-called "cut-bows." If the service does list the fish for federal protection, it would probably take in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe River drainages. But that would not automatically mean the end for sport fishing on the state's blue-ribbon trout streams. "There could be exceptions where populations are strong," said Scott Deeds of the service office in Spokane. Deeds said he agrees the upper St. Joe River and portions of the Coeur d'Alene River have good numbers of cutthroat. Ned Horner, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said his agency is addressing potential cut-bow hybridization in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers. "This year, there were continued concerns about stocking hatchery fish on top of wild fish," Horner said. "We're going to discontinue stocking completely. We're going to rely on ponds along the river to provide harvest opportunity for rainbows so people can go up and fish the river and enjoy wild native cutthroat." $00:0200346860: $199:A0200346860 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:13-YEAR-OLD RAPED AS FRIEND SLEEPS NEARBY $90:AP $120: MILL CREEK (AP) -- The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is investigating the assault of a 13-year-old girl in her bed as a friend slept nearby. The girl told police a stranger appeared in her family's ground-floor apartment Sunday. She said he came into her room, indicated that he had a weapon and then raped her. A teenage friend was reportedly sleeping on the bedroom floor when the attack happened. The friend told deputies she didn't hear anything. The girl's family told police the sliding patio door was locked, however, there were no signs of forced entry, sheriff's Capt. Kevin Prentiss said. $00:0200346862: $199:A0200346862 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:TWO KILLED, TWO INJURED IN FIRES $90:AP $120: PORTLAND (AP) -- Separate residential fires killed two men and seriously injured two young brothers on Christmas. The brothers were among eight family members driven from their two-story northeast Salem apartment around 2 a.m. after the building erupted in flames. Victor Titarenko, 12, was burned over nearly 65 percent of his body, according to a spokeswoman at Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center, where he was taken by emergency helicopter. His brother Roman, 6, with whom he shared a bedroom, was being treated for burns over 22 percent of his body. The Titarenko brothers' parents and four siblings, ages 7 months to 16 years, escaped unharmed. In a separate fire in Hillsboro, two men from Guatemala died when fire destroyed the middle unit of a triplex. The men, whose names were not available, appear to have died of smoke inhalation, said Jeff Jurrens, Hillsboro fire marshal. $00:0200346872: $199:A0200346872 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Opinion; Pg. c8 $60:IN OUR VIEW: RISK VS. REWARD $90:Columbian editorial writers $100:editorial $120: Hotel and convention center looks like a good deal for downtown Vancouver The profit picture presented last week by Marriott International isn't the last word on the viability of a downtown Vancouver hotel and convention center. But it's a very encouraging first word. Marriott, the Maryland-based hospitality behemoth chosen to operate the 225- to 250-room hotel south of Esther Short Park, expects the facility to be a solid moneymaker from the day it opens. So solid, in fact, that even after covering the convention center's operating debt and payments on construction bonds, the $66.2 million complex will still clear more than $1 million in its first year. That estimate, presented to the Vancouver Downtown Redevelopment Authority and the Vancouver Public Facilities District last week by the investment firm U.S. Bankcorp Piper Jaffray, gets only rosier with time: almost $2 million in profits during the project's second year and more than $3 million during its third. Critics suggest that Marriott, as the main private partner in the publicly funded project, cannot be trusted to offer an unbiased assessment of its potential success or failure. But as The Columbian's Jeffrey Mize noted last week, hospitality consultant HVS International largely agrees with Marriott's estimates of the hotel's revenue outlook. Besides, Marriott has little to gain and lots to lose by joining a project even a publicly financed one that isn't financially viable. Public financing, in this case, is crucial. Critics wonder why the private sector isn't ready and willing to invest by itself in a downtown Vancouver hotel-convention complex. The answer is simple: It doesn't pencil out. As Piper Jaffray noted, using tax-exempt bonds to pay for construction means an interest rate of a little more than 5 percent considerably less than what a private company would pay. Is there risk? Certainly. But there's risk whenever taxpayers underwrite capital projects. The key in every case is to weigh the risk against the possible reward. The opportunity in this instance is tremendous. A new hotel and convention center could add immeasurably to the renaissance that downtown Vancouver is already experiencing. Marriott officials predict a 65 percent room occupancy rate when the hotel opens in 2005, rising to 74 percent by 2007. Those visitors will be contributing to the local economy in myriad ways in shops and restaurants, in gasoline purchases and taxes, and in helping to make the central city a livable place around the clock. The Columbian, it should be noted, may be part of the risk-vs.-reward equation. The newspaper is seeking to build its new offices immediately west of the convention center-hotel complex. The paper would buy most of the land south of Esther Short Park and sell a piece to the city for the project. Much work remains to be done: to design the hotel and convention center, to make sure it is attractive and accessible, and to double-check the financing. But so far this time around so good. $00:0200346874: $199:A0200346874 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Opinion; Pg. c8 $60:IN OUR VIEW: LIMIT MAKES SENSE $90:Columbian editorial writers $100:editorial $120: Sex abuse statutes questioned The current statute of limitation for prosecution of child sexual abuse is appropriate and just. Child advocates, along with two lawyers who represent alleged victims of Catholic priests in Spokane, have the best intentions for wanting to change the current law. But increasing the time limit for prosecution of such cases would actually carve a weak link in the justice system, not mold an appropriate shield for victims. As it is, a victim of child rape or child sexual abuse has seven years after a crime occurs or until he or she turns 21, whichever is later, to prosecute his or her monster. Proposed legislation, the Child Protection Act of 2003, would put child sexual abuse on the same level as murder. Only murder cases enjoy no statute of limitations. And for good reason. Murder leaves a victim unable to testify outside of particles, hair, blood and other evidence left behind. Such evidence can take a long time to find. It can be buried, literally, yet still conclusive decades after the crime. Children who have been abused, while often rightly intimidated and scared of the consequences of their actions should they come forward, are given a reasonable seven years or even adulthood to act. To push the boundary any further is dangerous. Ask yourself: Would you want to be charged for a crime based on someone's decades-old childhood memory? The thought is chilling. How often do memories "resurface" in therapy sessions? And how reliable are they? That's not to say people are lying when they accuse a person of molestation years after abuse occurs. It is to say that memories so far removed could cause great damage to innocent people. The proposed Child Protection Act also would make it mandatory for priests to report suspected abuse to authorities. Lawmakers should seriously consider making this sort of provision law. While separation of church and state is an important tenet of our society, there should be no separation between a child and his or her freedom from abuse and pain. While problems could arise from such a provision, such as accusations that a priest did suspect abuse but kept quiet about a given situation, he would be afforded the full protection and presumption of innocence that our legal system offers. $00:0200346877: $199:A0200346877 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:CHIC TALK: NEAT CUFFS, COLLARS WILL SNAG JOB, AUTHOR SAYS $90:ANGELA ALLEN Columbian staff writer $120: Two men with similar qualifications go for a promotion. Who wins it? "The guy with the ironed shirt. It's true. Studies have been done," says Steve Boorstein, also known as the Clothing Doctor and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing: Everything You Need to Know ... From Blue Jeans to Ball Gowns" (Boutique Books, LLC, 2002, $19.95). Aside from writing books and working as a fashion and image consultant, the Washington, D.C.-based Boorstein until recently ran a high-end dry cleaner in Chevy Chase, Md., near Washington, D.C. He ironed shirts for politicians, CNN news announcers and performers. He charged $4 a shirt, more than twice as much as the typical $1.50 fee. He pressed the collars of the powerful and the rich, and after years, he noticed the shirts of the private sector were far better quality than those of our elected representatives. He argues that "if you want to make an impression, you do it in terms of the way you look. When you wear a shirt that's not ironed, it shows." To get the scoop on shirts, have a heart-to-heart with your dry cleaner, Boorstein advises. They know how to make collars and cuffs look good, key to a well-presented shirt. The thinner or more delicate a shirt's fabric (and often that's $300 Brionis and Pinks made of high-thread count cottons), the bigger a challenge to iron. "You can spend $300 on a shirt and it won't look as good as a $70 Oxford cloth shirt. An expensive shirt is like a linen blouse that has breaks in it, while a blue Oxford just goes on looking beautiful. ... If you're tough on your shirts, wear the Oxfords" (though don't starch them too much). Then again, if you love beautifully appointed clothing, "go ahead and get the Pinks. If a man is used to dressing well, and makes a point of socializing in a higher strata, people will notice your collars and cuffs." If they're not lying down properly, you're in trouble. A handsome wrinkle-free collar shows "who's a good dresser and who's not. A man's collars and cuffs are going to show immediately." Collars can be fused or sewn. When fused, two or three layers are "glued" together with facing, and this gives the collar a slight sheen, but it makes wrinkles almost non-existent. When you invest in a shirt, rub your thumb and forefinger on the top and the bottom of the collar. If the layers separate, "you're going to have a big problem with that collar." A good collar, like a well-trained dog, is supposed to stay down, not buckle, jump up and irritate. Boorstein feels so strongly about this, he says, "Any man wearing a collar with a wrinkle is missing the fashion boat." When you're buying a shirt, order the collar one-half size larger than your neck to account for shrinkage, which happens to most shirts, even the custom-made types. If you wear a 151/2, buy a 16. Once again, Boorstein says, "studies have been done on tremendous depth on this." Details, details! But in light of promotion, closing a deal or reeling in a date, collars and cuffs might be more than picayune matters. Angela Allen writes about fashion and trends. Reach her at 360-759-8005 or by e-mail at angela.allen@columbian.com. $00:0200346879: $199:A0200346879 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:SWEATERS & SALES ... NEED I SAY MORE? $90:ANGELA ALLEN , Columbian staff writer $100:fashion $120: When you're a clothes lover, you can never own too many crisp, white shirts, black shoes or sweaters. Which means today could be your lucky day. Return the steak knives and the maroon bathrobe with the faux-fur cuffs, and you'll have enough to grab yourself a sweater ---- at a darn good price. All over town, stacks of sweaters are on sale, searching for lovers. What better way to spend the day after Christmas! To build on a precious collection! To add to the piles of wool and cotton and cashmere spilling from shelves, nudging each other from drawers like eager puppies begging for attention. If you suspect your wrap wardrobe is well-enough rounded, do what I do. For each new turtleneck or cardigan, give away an old one. Somehow, I've never run short on sweaters, and I hold on to the ones I love dearly, sometimes after a moth burrows in and leaves a hole, or a button falls off. This season, sweaters practically have turned into dresses. The myriad of styles, necklines, fabrics, cuts and details are complicating the once simple universe of the plain pullover and shell-button twin-set. Notice the empire-style sweater, for gosh sakes, or the slim slipovers with the big bell sleeves that balance the influx of flared pants. With all the belts and trims, they could pass for coats. Sweaters, after all, are quite the bargain when they pass for more than sweaters. As for the necklines -- funnel, mock, cowl, boat, crew, ballet, V, jewel, scrunch -- you could use each as a clincher word in a hard-fought Scrabble game. How could we not luxuriate in sweaters' rich textures, some as alluringly soft as the spot behind a cat's ear? It's not out of the question to roll around in them, or nuzzle them threadbare. With Italian merino wool, cashmere, faux fur, sequins, appliques, silky crochet, velour patchwork, waves of ribs, coils of cables, who needs a blanket? Details turn up as assorted as buttons in a New York notion shop. You'll have to hunt to find a sweater without at least one pickstitch, pompom, wrist ruffle, lace-up back, leather-lined pocket, zip front or snug little hoody. And then there's going giddy over such leftover tones as winter-white, koala (think small Australian bearlike creature), truffle, claret, or raisin with blonde trim. The very thought should leave you drunk with desire for one more sweater. Adding to the post-season joy, you'll be hard-pressed to find one with an American flag emblazoned on the yoke, yelling out like a megaphone. At this very moment, I happen to be excited about the greyhound-sleek alpaca Calvin Klein "wrapneck" with the sleeves as tapered as Cruella DeVille's manicured nails. The last time I looked, it dropped from $580 to $340 at the Saks Fifth Avenue Web site. Maybe I'll wait for another couple hundred to melt from the price tag, though by that time, I will have found another I love almost as much -- perhaps that zip-front celery cashmere with the four-inch ribbed cuffs. This sweater business is a fickle one, and fashion hounds rarely hold out too long. Even the thought of burrowing into the fuzzy folds of the Eileen Fisher funnel-neck is pulling me close like a helpless victim. Oddly, it's about the same price as those steak knives. $00:0200346893: $199:A0200346893 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d6 $60:STORM BLANKETS UPSTATE NEW YORK WITH 2 FEET OF SNOW $90:DEVI ATHIAPPAN, Associated Press writer $100:weather $120: ALBANY, N.Y. -- More than two feet of snow fell Wednesday in parts of upstate New York as a powerful nor'easter moved up the Atlantic Coast, setting Christmas snowfall records, closing airports and bringing an unexpected holiday spectacle of lightning and thunder. Snow was falling as fast as 5 inches per hour in eastern New York, said Evan Heller, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albany. The Mohawk Valley was "still getting clobbered" after 26 inches of snow, and would easily get another foot, Heller said. The New York State Thruway closed off more than 100 miles Wednesday evening because plows couldn't keep up. For Albany, it was the first snowy Dec. 25 since 1985, and a likely record Christmas snowfall. The snowstorm, blowing out of the Plains, was blamed for at least 14 deaths since Monday, mostly related to traffic accidents. It moved east Tuesday night, from the Midwest into Pennsylvania, New York and New England, then re-formed Wednesday off the East Coast as a nor'easter. Maine was expected to see up to 18 inches of snow in places and wind gusts up to 45 mph, the weather service said. The storm was punctuated in Connecticut with lightning and thunder. All three of the New York City area's airports were affected, with Kennedy and LaGuardia closing Wednesday evening and flights delayed at Newark. Flights were also canceled at airports in Albany and Hartford. To the south, Baltimore saw a morning mix of rain and sleet replaced later with cottonball-sized flakes of swirling snow that turned to thick slush as it hit the ground. Slush forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to close the two major runways temporarily. Six inches fell on parts of western Maryland. Virginia was spared the brunt, but strong winds blew between 40 and 50 mph in some areas. The storm brought snow Monday to Texas and Oklahoma, which got more than a foot in some areas. Oklahoma City had its first white Christmas in 27 years. It brought 15 inches of snow to parts of Kansas by Tuesday morning and parts of southwest Missouri in the Ozarks had 14 inches. Michigan caught the northwest fringe of the storm Wednesday, reporting as much as 9 inches of snow in the southern part of the state.
SEATTLE (AP) -- Demolition of World War II-era duplexes at the Rainier Vista public housing project to make way for redevelopment could begin as early as today now that a lawsuit has been settled. U.S. District Judge John Coughenour had issued an injunction halting the $125 million redevelopment project three weeks ago so that a lawsuit by tenants and housing advocates could be heard in court. On Tuesday, the parties to the lawsuit agreed to a settlement after four days of federal mediation. That allows the Seattle Housing Authority to proceed with demolition. Those who sued celebrated the settlement as a victory. They said the authority, an independent government agency that operates the project, gave significant concessions to neighbors, tenants and low-income housing advocates. The housing authority, buoyed by a $35 million federal grant, plans to level Rainier Vista's 481 rental units and replace them with a mixed-income community of 1,010 new rental and for-sale homes. Some low-income housing advocates, led by the Seattle Displacement Coalition, opposed redevelopment in the belief that it would result in fewer homes for the city's poorest families. The agency disputed that contention. The settlement states that people earning less than 30 percent of the region's median income about $23,350 annually for a family of four will get preference for all new low-income housing in the redeveloped Rainier Vista. The agreement legally binds the housing authority to its promise that the number of units on the new site will not exceed 1,010. $00:0200346848: $199:A0200346848 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:POLICE HUNT MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS FAMILY $90:GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press writer $120: PORTLAND -- Investigators are working through Christmas to track the man wanted for the aggravated murder of his pregnant wife and three young children, Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said Wednesday. About 25 more phone tips came in overnight and police are following up on leads that could point to the whereabouts of 37-year-old Edward Morris, believed to be armed, dangerous and on the run, Anderson said. The bodies of 31-year-old Renee Morris and her three children 10-year-old Bryant, 8-year-old Alexis and 4-year-old Jonathan were found Saturday in the snowy Tillamook State Forest. Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant late Monday charging Edward Morris with seven counts of aggravated murder in the crime. Autopsies completed Monday showed the four victims died of "homicidal violence," Anderson said. He said police believe the killings took place in Tillamook County, but would not elaborate. The FBI also issued a federal arrest warrant for Morris, indicating officials believe he has fled the state and possibly the country. "This will be a nationwide search for Mr. Morris," Anderson said, adding that the hunt will concentrate in the Northwest, where Morris has family and friends. Prosecutors charged Morris with three additional counts of aggravated murder because the children were all younger than 14 years and because there were multiple victims, Anderson said. Police continued to search for Morris' vehicle, a gray 1993 Dodge Caravan, which they described as in very good condition, with Oregon plates WSH-171. The minivan sports bumper stickers honoring the Beaverton, Ore.-based Christian evangelist Luis Palau and the Promise Keepers on its back windshield. Morris had trouble holding a job and started several roofing and landscaping businesses over the past years. The Morrises filed for bankruptcy in 1993 for one of those businesses. $00:0200346850: $199:A0200346850 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:CHURCH HOLDS SERVICE FOR FALLEN MEMBERS $90:AP $120: PORTLAND (AP) -- Holiday thoughts mingled with tears for about 70 people at a ceremony Christmas Eve at the St. Johns Wesleyan Church, where everybody knew Renee and Edward Morris and their children, Bryant, Alexis and Jonathan. On Tuesday night, Pastor Phil Hawk of the North Portland church moved back and forth from joy to sorrow, imploring the Morris family's friends and fellow Christians not to give up hope amid the grief and confusion. Renee and the children were found slain in the Coast Range near Tillamook over the weekend. The authorities are looking for Edward Morris, who is charged in the killings. "It's been some rough, rough days," Hawk said. "Waters can get rough sometimes. But we serve a bigger God. There are some answers we may never come to in this life, but that's OK. Our God is still our God." About 70 people, most in jeans and raincoats and more than a third of them children, filled the wooden pews under a peaked, wood-panel ceiling. Red and white candles burned on the piano. A Christmas tree stood behind the altar. "I have an assurance, and a peace and a hope. I know that Renee, that Bryant, that Alex and that Jonathan, they're free," Hawk said. "They're free. They're free from the struggles and the pain and the hurt. The pain is no longer theirs. The pain is ours, and someday we will be with them." Between verses of "Your Love, Oh God," about God's love "reaching toward the heavens," a church guitarist stopped singing and prayed into a microphone: "I would ask that that love extend to Edward Morris right now. ... I would ask that you extend that hand of forgiveness." Church members had grown concerned when Renee Morris, who was co-directing the children's Christmas musical, failed to show for the final rehearsal. After the family did not show for the performance Saturday night, church members held a vigil until 2:30 a.m., praying for them. A hunter and his son found the bodies of Renee and the children over the weekend. $00:0200346854: $199:A0200346854 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:MISSING HIKER FOCUS OF SEARCH IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY, ORE. $90:AP $120: TILLAMOOK, Ore. (AP) -- Authorities in Tillamook County are continuing the search for a missing hiker whose car was found about five miles west of the place where the bodies of a North Portland woman and her three children were discovered last weekend. Officials said there is no indication the two incidents are connected. Abhay Thatte, 37, of Beaverton, was reported missing after he failed to show up for work Monday at the Portland city auditor's office, according to Auditor Gary Blackmer. Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said helicopters were called in to help the search Wednesday. The search concluded at nightfall and will resume today. Washington County authorities offered to take over the search, allowing the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office to focus on the quadruple deaths. Police said Thatte's car had been at the Tillamook State Forest trailhead since Sunday. Blackmer described Thatte as a bright man working on a doctorate in economics, as well as an avid runner and an experienced hiker. His wife and infant child are visiting family in India, Blackmer said. $00:0200346856: $199:A0200346856 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:OREGON'S UNEMPLOYED WILL GET AN EXTENSION OF BENEFITS $90:AP $120: BEND, Ore. (AP) -- There's a silver lining for some, however temporary, in Oregon's high unemployment rate. The state is one of only three in the country with a high enough unemployment rate to qualify for an extension of unemployment checks, scheduled to run out this weekend for about 750,000 jobless workers nationwide. Oregon's jobless rate was 7.1 percent in November. About 20,000 Oregonians will be eligible for the extension under the joint state/federal Extended Benefits program, and will continue getting checks for another 13 weeks. "The majority of folks claiming will be moved over without any breaks (in their checks)," said Craig Spivey, a public information representative for the Oregon Employment Department. Oregon will pay its part of the program through a $1.5 billion benefits trust fund, paid for by employers in the state. There are still between 500 and 600 Oregon workers who will have received unemployment checks for a full 65 weeks, and will have totally exhausted their benefits, making them unable to switch to the Extended Benefits Program. Spivey said the U.S. Department of Labor has made assurances that Congress will pass some type of program extending national unemployment benefits when it reconvenes in January. If Congress doesn't pass such legislation, those 20,000 Oregonians will have reached the end of their benefits by March. "The president has told Congress that it will be the first thing they'll tackle when they come back," Spivey said. Many of the Oregon workers were already receiving extended federal benefits under the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program, a part of the Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President Bush last March. The legislation allowed for up to 26 additional weeks of federally paid unemployment benefits once workers had exhausted their original claim. But Congress recessed without renewing that program. $00:0200346858: $199:A0200346858 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:STATES, TRIBE GIVEN MORE TIME TO COMMENT ON CUTTHROAT $90:AP $120: COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) -- States in the Northwest and an Indian tribe have more time to offer information to federal biologists about the westslope cutthroat trout. A federal judge in April ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to re-evaluate its 2000 determination the native fish did not warrant a place on the Endangered Species List. "We were considering some populations with hybrid fish as westslope cutthroat trout," said Steve Duke of the service. "Because of that we probably concluded they were much more widespread and less threatened." The agency has extended a comment period until Feb. 15 to collect more information on the species in Idaho, Washington, Montana and Oregon. The Kalispel Tribe also will offer their comments. The service, acting on a 1997 petition, determined westslope cutthroat have self-sustaining stocks widely distributed throughout their historic range. A recent study showed the cutthroat in Montana's Flathead River system are breeding with rainbow trout in more tributaries than originally thought. The combination of the two strains creates so-called "cut-bows." If the service does list the fish for federal protection, it would probably take in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe River drainages. But that would not automatically mean the end for sport fishing on the state's blue-ribbon trout streams. "There could be exceptions where populations are strong," said Scott Deeds of the service office in Spokane. Deeds said he agrees the upper St. Joe River and portions of the Coeur d'Alene River have good numbers of cutthroat. Ned Horner, regional fisheries manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said his agency is addressing potential cut-bow hybridization in the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers. "This year, there were continued concerns about stocking hatchery fish on top of wild fish," Horner said. "We're going to discontinue stocking completely. We're going to rely on ponds along the river to provide harvest opportunity for rainbows so people can go up and fish the river and enjoy wild native cutthroat." $00:0200346860: $199:A0200346860 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:13-YEAR-OLD RAPED AS FRIEND SLEEPS NEARBY $90:AP $120: MILL CREEK (AP) -- The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is investigating the assault of a 13-year-old girl in her bed as a friend slept nearby. The girl told police a stranger appeared in her family's ground-floor apartment Sunday. She said he came into her room, indicated that he had a weapon and then raped her. A teenage friend was reportedly sleeping on the bedroom floor when the attack happened. The friend told deputies she didn't hear anything. The girl's family told police the sliding patio door was locked, however, there were no signs of forced entry, sheriff's Capt. Kevin Prentiss said. $00:0200346862: $199:A0200346862 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Clark County/region; Pg. c3 $60:TWO KILLED, TWO INJURED IN FIRES $90:AP $120: PORTLAND (AP) -- Separate residential fires killed two men and seriously injured two young brothers on Christmas. The brothers were among eight family members driven from their two-story northeast Salem apartment around 2 a.m. after the building erupted in flames. Victor Titarenko, 12, was burned over nearly 65 percent of his body, according to a spokeswoman at Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center, where he was taken by emergency helicopter. His brother Roman, 6, with whom he shared a bedroom, was being treated for burns over 22 percent of his body. The Titarenko brothers' parents and four siblings, ages 7 months to 16 years, escaped unharmed. In a separate fire in Hillsboro, two men from Guatemala died when fire destroyed the middle unit of a triplex. The men, whose names were not available, appear to have died of smoke inhalation, said Jeff Jurrens, Hillsboro fire marshal. $00:0200346872: $199:A0200346872 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Opinion; Pg. c8 $60:IN OUR VIEW: RISK VS. REWARD $90:Columbian editorial writers $100:editorial $120: Hotel and convention center looks like a good deal for downtown Vancouver The profit picture presented last week by Marriott International isn't the last word on the viability of a downtown Vancouver hotel and convention center. But it's a very encouraging first word. Marriott, the Maryland-based hospitality behemoth chosen to operate the 225- to 250-room hotel south of Esther Short Park, expects the facility to be a solid moneymaker from the day it opens. So solid, in fact, that even after covering the convention center's operating debt and payments on construction bonds, the $66.2 million complex will still clear more than $1 million in its first year. That estimate, presented to the Vancouver Downtown Redevelopment Authority and the Vancouver Public Facilities District last week by the investment firm U.S. Bankcorp Piper Jaffray, gets only rosier with time: almost $2 million in profits during the project's second year and more than $3 million during its third. Critics suggest that Marriott, as the main private partner in the publicly funded project, cannot be trusted to offer an unbiased assessment of its potential success or failure. But as The Columbian's Jeffrey Mize noted last week, hospitality consultant HVS International largely agrees with Marriott's estimates of the hotel's revenue outlook. Besides, Marriott has little to gain and lots to lose by joining a project even a publicly financed one that isn't financially viable. Public financing, in this case, is crucial. Critics wonder why the private sector isn't ready and willing to invest by itself in a downtown Vancouver hotel-convention complex. The answer is simple: It doesn't pencil out. As Piper Jaffray noted, using tax-exempt bonds to pay for construction means an interest rate of a little more than 5 percent considerably less than what a private company would pay. Is there risk? Certainly. But there's risk whenever taxpayers underwrite capital projects. The key in every case is to weigh the risk against the possible reward. The opportunity in this instance is tremendous. A new hotel and convention center could add immeasurably to the renaissance that downtown Vancouver is already experiencing. Marriott officials predict a 65 percent room occupancy rate when the hotel opens in 2005, rising to 74 percent by 2007. Those visitors will be contributing to the local economy in myriad ways in shops and restaurants, in gasoline purchases and taxes, and in helping to make the central city a livable place around the clock. The Columbian, it should be noted, may be part of the risk-vs.-reward equation. The newspaper is seeking to build its new offices immediately west of the convention center-hotel complex. The paper would buy most of the land south of Esther Short Park and sell a piece to the city for the project. Much work remains to be done: to design the hotel and convention center, to make sure it is attractive and accessible, and to double-check the financing. But so far this time around so good. $00:0200346874: $199:A0200346874 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Opinion; Pg. c8 $60:IN OUR VIEW: LIMIT MAKES SENSE $90:Columbian editorial writers $100:editorial $120: Sex abuse statutes questioned The current statute of limitation for prosecution of child sexual abuse is appropriate and just. Child advocates, along with two lawyers who represent alleged victims of Catholic priests in Spokane, have the best intentions for wanting to change the current law. But increasing the time limit for prosecution of such cases would actually carve a weak link in the justice system, not mold an appropriate shield for victims. As it is, a victim of child rape or child sexual abuse has seven years after a crime occurs or until he or she turns 21, whichever is later, to prosecute his or her monster. Proposed legislation, the Child Protection Act of 2003, would put child sexual abuse on the same level as murder. Only murder cases enjoy no statute of limitations. And for good reason. Murder leaves a victim unable to testify outside of particles, hair, blood and other evidence left behind. Such evidence can take a long time to find. It can be buried, literally, yet still conclusive decades after the crime. Children who have been abused, while often rightly intimidated and scared of the consequences of their actions should they come forward, are given a reasonable seven years or even adulthood to act. To push the boundary any further is dangerous. Ask yourself: Would you want to be charged for a crime based on someone's decades-old childhood memory? The thought is chilling. How often do memories "resurface" in therapy sessions? And how reliable are they? That's not to say people are lying when they accuse a person of molestation years after abuse occurs. It is to say that memories so far removed could cause great damage to innocent people. The proposed Child Protection Act also would make it mandatory for priests to report suspected abuse to authorities. Lawmakers should seriously consider making this sort of provision law. While separation of church and state is an important tenet of our society, there should be no separation between a child and his or her freedom from abuse and pain. While problems could arise from such a provision, such as accusations that a priest did suspect abuse but kept quiet about a given situation, he would be afforded the full protection and presumption of innocence that our legal system offers. $00:0200346877: $199:A0200346877 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:CHIC TALK: NEAT CUFFS, COLLARS WILL SNAG JOB, AUTHOR SAYS $90:ANGELA ALLEN Columbian staff writer $120: Two men with similar qualifications go for a promotion. Who wins it? "The guy with the ironed shirt. It's true. Studies have been done," says Steve Boorstein, also known as the Clothing Doctor and author of "The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing: Everything You Need to Know ... From Blue Jeans to Ball Gowns" (Boutique Books, LLC, 2002, $19.95). Aside from writing books and working as a fashion and image consultant, the Washington, D.C.-based Boorstein until recently ran a high-end dry cleaner in Chevy Chase, Md., near Washington, D.C. He ironed shirts for politicians, CNN news announcers and performers. He charged $4 a shirt, more than twice as much as the typical $1.50 fee. He pressed the collars of the powerful and the rich, and after years, he noticed the shirts of the private sector were far better quality than those of our elected representatives. He argues that "if you want to make an impression, you do it in terms of the way you look. When you wear a shirt that's not ironed, it shows." To get the scoop on shirts, have a heart-to-heart with your dry cleaner, Boorstein advises. They know how to make collars and cuffs look good, key to a well-presented shirt. The thinner or more delicate a shirt's fabric (and often that's $300 Brionis and Pinks made of high-thread count cottons), the bigger a challenge to iron. "You can spend $300 on a shirt and it won't look as good as a $70 Oxford cloth shirt. An expensive shirt is like a linen blouse that has breaks in it, while a blue Oxford just goes on looking beautiful. ... If you're tough on your shirts, wear the Oxfords" (though don't starch them too much). Then again, if you love beautifully appointed clothing, "go ahead and get the Pinks. If a man is used to dressing well, and makes a point of socializing in a higher strata, people will notice your collars and cuffs." If they're not lying down properly, you're in trouble. A handsome wrinkle-free collar shows "who's a good dresser and who's not. A man's collars and cuffs are going to show immediately." Collars can be fused or sewn. When fused, two or three layers are "glued" together with facing, and this gives the collar a slight sheen, but it makes wrinkles almost non-existent. When you invest in a shirt, rub your thumb and forefinger on the top and the bottom of the collar. If the layers separate, "you're going to have a big problem with that collar." A good collar, like a well-trained dog, is supposed to stay down, not buckle, jump up and irritate. Boorstein feels so strongly about this, he says, "Any man wearing a collar with a wrinkle is missing the fashion boat." When you're buying a shirt, order the collar one-half size larger than your neck to account for shrinkage, which happens to most shirts, even the custom-made types. If you wear a 151/2, buy a 16. Once again, Boorstein says, "studies have been done on tremendous depth on this." Details, details! But in light of promotion, closing a deal or reeling in a date, collars and cuffs might be more than picayune matters. Angela Allen writes about fashion and trends. Reach her at 360-759-8005 or by e-mail at angela.allen@columbian.com. $00:0200346879: $199:A0200346879 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d1 $60:SWEATERS & SALES ... NEED I SAY MORE? $90:ANGELA ALLEN , Columbian staff writer $100:fashion $120: When you're a clothes lover, you can never own too many crisp, white shirts, black shoes or sweaters. Which means today could be your lucky day. Return the steak knives and the maroon bathrobe with the faux-fur cuffs, and you'll have enough to grab yourself a sweater ---- at a darn good price. All over town, stacks of sweaters are on sale, searching for lovers. What better way to spend the day after Christmas! To build on a precious collection! To add to the piles of wool and cotton and cashmere spilling from shelves, nudging each other from drawers like eager puppies begging for attention. If you suspect your wrap wardrobe is well-enough rounded, do what I do. For each new turtleneck or cardigan, give away an old one. Somehow, I've never run short on sweaters, and I hold on to the ones I love dearly, sometimes after a moth burrows in and leaves a hole, or a button falls off. This season, sweaters practically have turned into dresses. The myriad of styles, necklines, fabrics, cuts and details are complicating the once simple universe of the plain pullover and shell-button twin-set. Notice the empire-style sweater, for gosh sakes, or the slim slipovers with the big bell sleeves that balance the influx of flared pants. With all the belts and trims, they could pass for coats. Sweaters, after all, are quite the bargain when they pass for more than sweaters. As for the necklines -- funnel, mock, cowl, boat, crew, ballet, V, jewel, scrunch -- you could use each as a clincher word in a hard-fought Scrabble game. How could we not luxuriate in sweaters' rich textures, some as alluringly soft as the spot behind a cat's ear? It's not out of the question to roll around in them, or nuzzle them threadbare. With Italian merino wool, cashmere, faux fur, sequins, appliques, silky crochet, velour patchwork, waves of ribs, coils of cables, who needs a blanket? Details turn up as assorted as buttons in a New York notion shop. You'll have to hunt to find a sweater without at least one pickstitch, pompom, wrist ruffle, lace-up back, leather-lined pocket, zip front or snug little hoody. And then there's going giddy over such leftover tones as winter-white, koala (think small Australian bearlike creature), truffle, claret, or raisin with blonde trim. The very thought should leave you drunk with desire for one more sweater. Adding to the post-season joy, you'll be hard-pressed to find one with an American flag emblazoned on the yoke, yelling out like a megaphone. At this very moment, I happen to be excited about the greyhound-sleek alpaca Calvin Klein "wrapneck" with the sleeves as tapered as Cruella DeVille's manicured nails. The last time I looked, it dropped from $580 to $340 at the Saks Fifth Avenue Web site. Maybe I'll wait for another couple hundred to melt from the price tag, though by that time, I will have found another I love almost as much -- perhaps that zip-front celery cashmere with the four-inch ribbed cuffs. This sweater business is a fickle one, and fashion hounds rarely hold out too long. Even the thought of burrowing into the fuzzy folds of the Eileen Fisher funnel-neck is pulling me close like a helpless victim. Oddly, it's about the same price as those steak knives. $00:0200346893: $199:A0200346893 $01:Copyright 2002 The Columbian Publishing Co. $02:$?The Columbian $20:December 26, 2002, Thursday $30:Life; Pg. d6 $60:STORM BLANKETS UPSTATE NEW YORK WITH 2 FEET OF SNOW $90:DEVI ATHIAPPAN, Associated Press writer $100:weather $120: ALBANY, N.Y. -- More than two feet of snow fell Wednesday in parts of upstate New York as a powerful nor'easter moved up the Atlantic Coast, setting Christmas snowfall records, closing airports and bringing an unexpected holiday spectacle of lightning and thunder. Snow was falling as fast as 5 inches per hour in eastern New York, said Evan Heller, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Albany. The Mohawk Valley was "still getting clobbered" after 26 inches of snow, and would easily get another foot, Heller said. The New York State Thruway closed off more than 100 miles Wednesday evening because plows couldn't keep up. For Albany, it was the first snowy Dec. 25 since 1985, and a likely record Christmas snowfall. The snowstorm, blowing out of the Plains, was blamed for at least 14 deaths since Monday, mostly related to traffic accidents. It moved east Tuesday night, from the Midwest into Pennsylvania, New York and New England, then re-formed Wednesday off the East Coast as a nor'easter. Maine was expected to see up to 18 inches of snow in places and wind gusts up to 45 mph, the weather service said. The storm was punctuated in Connecticut with lightning and thunder. All three of the New York City area's airports were affected, with Kennedy and LaGuardia closing Wednesday evening and flights delayed at Newark. Flights were also canceled at airports in Albany and Hartford. To the south, Baltimore saw a morning mix of rain and sleet replaced later with cottonball-sized flakes of swirling snow that turned to thick slush as it hit the ground. Slush forced officials at Baltimore-Washington International Airport to close the two major runways temporarily. Six inches fell on parts of western Maryland. Virginia was spared the brunt, but strong winds blew between 40 and 50 mph in some areas. The storm brought snow Monday to Texas and Oklahoma, which got more than a foot in some areas. Oklahoma City had its first white Christmas in 27 years. It brought 15 inches of snow to parts of Kansas by Tuesday morning and parts of southwest Missouri in the Ozarks had 14 inches. Michigan caught the northwest fringe of the storm Wednesday, reporting as much as 9 inches of snow in the southern part of the state.
